adjective
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easy to see or understand; evident
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exhibiting motives, feelings, intentions, etc, clearly or without subtlety
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naive or unsubtle
the play was rather obvious
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obsolete being or standing in the way
Synonym Usage
See apparent.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of obvious
First recorded in 1580–90; from Latin obvius “in the way, lying in the path,” equivalent to ob- ob- ( def. ) + vi(a) way 1 ( def. ) + -us, adjective suffix ( see -ous ( def. ))
Explanation
Something obvious is plain to see and easily understandable. It was obvious that you didn't enjoy your meal because I found it rolled in a napkin and shoved under the rug. There's nothing vague about the adjective obvious — it's right there in front of your eyes! It describes something that's easy to figure out or the most straightforward option. If someone states the obvious, you're likely to respond with a sarcastic "No duh!" or "Thanks Sherlock." If obvious isn't the obvious word of choice, you can try a synonym such as "evident" or "apparent."
Vocabulary lists containing obvious
Now I See! Synonyms for "Clear"
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Latin Love, Vol I: via
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Essential English Vocabulary, List 4
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It was obvious what my contact was suggesting, half an hour or so after the shock resignation of John Healey.
From BBC • Jun. 13, 2026
Fellow UFC fighter Anthony Smith said on Michael Bisping’s “Believe You Me” podcast in November 2022 that the reason McGregor pulled out of the UFC drug testing pool was obvious.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 12, 2026
It was another obvious signal that San Antonio, despite its abundant talent, remains an inexperienced team.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 11, 2026
The most obvious candidate is the VanEck Semiconductor Exchange-Traded Fund, home to data center chip makers seeing explosive growth in their AI offerings.
From Barron's • Jun. 11, 2026
“Don’t bother. It’s obvious you’d rather be with your boyfriend than me.”
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
